Percy Jackson and the Olympians: OneShots
by TennisWriter456
Summary: A group of one-shots all about Camp Half-Blood and the hidden stories behind the events that happened throughout the series. Stories about Percy, Annabeth and the rest of the demigods as I try to fill in the gaps. Humor, drama, and of course, PERCABETH!
1. The Last Campfire

**SPOILER ALERT :) Hi there everybody! TennisWriter456 here with my first Percy Jackson fanfic (which is odd because I LOVE the series). I just had the sudden urge to write this one-shot of Percy and Annabeth the night before he went missing. It's based off of Piper and Annabeth's conversation at the beginning of The Lost Hero, when she's describing how he disappeared. Of course I put my own twists into it. I'm sure this is different than what Rick Riordan pictured in his head. Haha. Anyway, I really hope you guys like it, but I'm warning you: it might be the fluffiest thing I've ever written. And I'm a pretty fluffy writer, so that's saying something. This is just how I imagine Percy and Annabeth's relationship to be like after The Last Olympian. ENJOY!  
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><p><span>The Last Campfire<span>

The last four months had dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. Each day had lasted much too long, and every minute spent without him widened the small crack in her heart. Her only comfort had been the memories of the summer, and the letters and rare phone calls that somehow sufficed. She had survived solely on the written words and the sound of his familiar voice. School had not been distraction enough; homework was minimal in her matured mind, and she spent her days doodling architectural structures absentmindedly during class. Her face turned hot and her throat became parched each time she thought of his arms around her, the soft touch of his lips on her forehead, the way his green eyes glistened in that friendly manner that was enough to make her knees buckle. Each night, before falling asleep to dream of him, she would sit in bed and flip through the photos of them together. And each night, she would get cramps from laughing and her head would hurt from the thoughts rushing through it. Her favorite picture was the one where he had his arm around her casually, and broad, toothy smiles radiated from their faces. They looked genuinely happy.

Chiron had the same picture in his office. And Percy had the same picture stuffed somewhere in his room. Annabeth constantly found herself wondering if he looked at it as much as she did. That little, reliable intuition inside of her said that he did. That thought made her stomach churn, so every time she saw the picture, she felt connected with him.

Every single night, she seemed to have the same dream. It wasn't really a dream. It was more like a memory, her mind replaying the last night at Camp Half-Blood before they were forced to separate. She woke up every morning with tears stinging her eyes and a soft smile playing on her lips.

"Don't get into too much trouble, Seaweed Brain." He had smiled mischievously, taking a step closer.

"I can't make any promises." In the midst of her happy grin and flustered expression, he had leaned down, tilted her chin up, and kissed her. The touch was so gentle it had almost brought her to tears. His callused fingers had played distractedly with her blonde curls as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a painful embrace.

"Can you at least survive until winter break?"

"For you?" He had raised his eyebrows, baring his bright white teeth. "Hm. Maybe."

That was always when the dream ended. It was simple, strangely beautiful, and yet much too realistic. It continuously reminded Annabeth of his warmth, and the way he could hold her perfectly.

And for some odd reason, the dream would always omit the part when Percy had said, "I love you, Annabeth."

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><p>"Wait, when did you say your winter break starts?"<p>

Percy's voice on the phone was just as perfect and nonchalant as Annabeth remembered.

"Can you pay attention for once? Next Monday. I'll get to camp on Tuesday."

"Tuesday? Really?"

"Yes, really! Why?"

"It just so happens, Miss Wise Ass, that I get to camp on the same day."

"...You're kidding, right?"

"I kid you not."

"So we both start winter break early? That's amazing!"

"Now I'm even more pumped than before to leave school!"

"Three weeks at Camp Half-Blood—"

"Three weeks _together._"

"Percy...I've really missed you."

"How much?"

"Wow. Not the response I was expecting. But, to answer your question: a lot."

"I've missed you, too. More than I can bear. Annabeth, I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle the rest of the year like this."

"Just imagine next summer. We'll have oodles of time to spend together."

"I can't wait—hold on. Did you just say oodles?"

"You're hearing things, Percy."

"Oh. Hey, you know who I _really, really_ miss?"

"Chiron? Grover?"

"...Rachel."

"Go jump off of a cliff."

"Aw, c'mon, now. You wouldn't want your boyfriend to jump off of a cliff, would you?"

"Um...Percy?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you more."

"I...I guess I'll see you on Tuesday, then...?"

"That you will. Good night, Annabeth."

"Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite."

Annabeth hung up the phone—praying monsters wouldn't attack her during the night— and curled up beneath the covers, unable to wipe the smile off of her face.

* * *

><p>Annabeth sat on the shores of the lake, letting her bare feet hang over the sand and into the clear, refreshing water. She stared detachedly at her contorted reflection, kicking her feet gently. Excitement bubbled up inside of her, though her expression remained disillusioned and distant. The sun was high in the sky, and its golden rays fell upon Annabeth's face warmly. Regardless, she felt cold and unnecessarily empty on the inside, as if her heart were slowing down and she was beginning to fall apart. As one would in the midst of a breeze, Annabeth hugged herself and rubbed her arms, leaning forward further. She continued to look into the image of her own stormy gray eyes, trying to put aside the irritating worries inside of her head.<p>

Here she was, finally at Camp Half-Blood...yet she was far from relaxed. In the distance, she could hear the continuous activities of the camp. The voices of all of the demigods blurred together and ran in one ear and out the other, only serving to cram her mind even more. Somewhere in the forest, she could've sworn she heard the bellow of the bronze dragon Cabin Nine had lost. Annabeth looked at her watch.

_One fifty-three._

Percy had promised to meet her by the lake at noon.

_It's just like him to be late, I suppose. _

Simply knowing that Percy was somewhere, simply knowing that he wasn't there, made the pain of missing him so much worse. On any other day, she would be angry about his lack of punctuality and be ready to blow a fuse. But at that moment, she was simply desperate to see his face and hear his voice as he cracked sarcastic, somehow unpretentious jokes. She wanted to laugh along with him as he raised his eyebrows and held her against his chest, telling her stories and twirling her hair. She wanted to be able to walk back to her cabin and look among her sisters and brothers, knowing that they all wished they had what Annabeth had with Percy. She wanted to kiss him beneath the stars—better yet, she wanted to kiss him beneath the water, where they were hidden and could spend all day.

Without warning, the water in front of her began to bubble dangerously. Before Annabeth could process what was happening, a burst of water flew from the surface and right into her face. She could only sit there, eyes closed and mouth wide, as she was doused with the fresh water of the lake. It dripped down her cheeks as her blonde hair became matted to her temples, and she could feel the droplets seeping through her orange shirt.

"Annabeth! Why are you so wet? The showers are back there, you know. The walk's not that far."

Her wet eyelids shot up, and she whirled around at the familiar, cynical voice. There, standing a few feet away, was the son of Poseidon.

"Percy!" Any anger she had been feeling at this sudden splash of water melted away in an instant, and she stood up. He had his hands on his hips and a smug expression on his face, and his eyes glistened brightly as they stared deeply into hers. He was as gorgeous as ever, with his dark black hair and green irises.

Annabeth had not taken a single step when she found herself wrapped in his arms, leaning her cheek against his chest and breathing in his beautiful, salty sea smell. She closed her eyes for a few moments and simply basked in the warmth of their embrace. He stroked her hair, and kissed the top of her head.

"You're still beautiful, even when you're soaking wet," he commented distractedly, still holding onto her possessively. At those words, the anger suddenly returned, and she pulled away with a furrowed brow and a very convincing frown. Percy blinked uncertainly, staring at her in confusion. "What?"

"Who do you think you are, keeping me waiting for so long? Get here on time, Seaweed Brain! And what was with that splash? Just because you have cool powers doesn't mean you can go around doing that."

"Um, I—"

"I thought something might have happened to you!" Here, she paused and slapped his arm with as much force as she could muster. Percy was completely silent as he flinched and stared at her. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"It's not a big deal. A towel will dry you off," he shrugged. They were both quiet for a few more moments, and as Annabeth stared at him, her angry emotions began to subside. She couldn't resist succumbing to that smile.

"I really missed you, Percy."

He hugged her again, chuckling with a mixture of satisfaction and triumph. When he pulled away again, he put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. It was unexpected, and Annabeth's eyes were still open when his lips met hers.

"Gods, I've waited way too long to do that," he sighed happily, making Annabeth blush. "How long has it been? A century?"

"Four months." Before he could say anything else, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He put his hands on her waist and lifted her into the air, spinning her as they melted together perfectly. After all of these months of waiting and suffering, it seemed as though this one moment made up for everything. The wait had all been worth it; Annabeth was finally in Percy Jackson's arms, at Camp Half-Blood. There was nowhere else she'd rather have been.

Percy spun her and spun her, and she didn't realize what was happening until they both collapsed into the water. Still grasping hands, they bobbed back up to the surface, suppressing their laughter and completely soaked.

"What was that for?"

"I don't know. I kinda like water." He winked, making the butterflies in her stomach flutter.

"I never would've guessed."

* * *

><p>"So then, the dragon just like, went berserk on us! Now it's somewhere in the forest, burning down trees and whatnot," Nyssa explained, her rolling eyes flashing in the light of the campfire.<p>

"I guess that's why Jake's not here...?" Percy guessed, raising his eyebrows. Nyssa sighed and responded with a nod. "Man, that really sucks."

"It's the curse of Cabin Nine," Travis said spookily. "Ooooooh."

"No it's not," Annabeth interjected logically. "It's only because Beckendorf..." Her voice trailed off when she looked up at Percy and saw his face fall.

The demigods were sitting around the campfire that night, telling stories and jokes while they gave each other friendly smiles. Annabeth sat in Percy's lap, leaning backwards against him and staring into the fireplace, adding to the conversation every once in a while. Percy, of course, was an ardent participant, laughing and joking around as he absentmindedly fiddled with Annabeth's hair. His touch comforted her, and listening to the sound of his voice and his melodious laugh almost lulled her to sleep.

"So, have you heard from your dad lately?" Drew, sitting awkwardly close to Percy, twirled a dark ringlet of hair. "I mean, has anybody?"

Everybody mumbled a response, shaking his or her head.

"The gods went silent, Drew," Percy replied. "At least, that's what Annabeth said."

"Yeah. I was redesigning the entrance to Mount Olympus, and they just suddenly closed it off about a month ago," she explained. Drew scoffed, staring at Annabeth and Percy as if they were bugs she'd just squashed with her nine-inch heels.

"Can we talk about something else? That stuff is depressing," Travis whined. Just as he said those words, they heard the shrill cry of a monster deep in the forest.

"And there's the dragon," Nyssa said in exasperation. "Why is this happening?"

"The curse of Ca—"

"Shut up, Travis. It's not a curse."

The rest of the conversation was lost to Annabeth. Her eyes were mesmerized by the flames dancing in the campfire, her mind clogged with the words that Percy was whispering in her ear. The satisfaction she was feeling was close to indescribable. Their conversations on the phone and the letters they wrote replayed in her head, and she cuddled in closer. As if nobody else was there, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, stroking her arm affectionately.

"Geez, get a room!"

"Get out of here, Will," Percy smirked.

Annabeth, getting the sudden urge to be alone with him, stood up and stretched her arms.

"I'm kind of tired," she said, looking directly into Percy's eyes. He blinked, seemingly oblivious to the hints she was throwing at him. "I think I'm going to go back to my cabin..."

She started walking away, but kept eye contact with Percy and batted her eyelashes quite conspicuously. He just stared up at her for a while as she walked off, his mouth slightly open.

"Uh...me, too," he finally stammered, and then stumbled hastily to his feet. Annabeth grinned to herself as she heard him jogging up behind her, and together, they walked away from the campfire, ignoring the snickers of the other demigods.

"What was that all about?" he questioned, putting his arm around her as they strolled. "You're not really tired, are you?"

"No," Annabeth sighed, inching closer. "I just...I don't know. I wanted to be alone with you."

Percy got that mischievous look in his eyes, and pursed his lips.

"Oh, really? Alone with me...in the dark?"

"Spare me," she laughed. "I just don't want to waste one single minute during the next three weeks."

"I hope you know that if you get clingy, I'm dumping you."

"Oh, please. I'm the best you'll ever get."

He paused.

"That's very true." Annabeth laughed again, putting her arm around his waist, glad that the darkness hid the rosy complexion now rising in her cheeks.

They walked along the shore of the lake, and secretly, Annabeth harbored the fear that with one hidden flick of Percy's wrist, she would be doused with water again. Still, she loved the feel of the sand in between her toes, and the atmosphere was serene as she glanced at the reflection of the moon in the water.

"Hey, question," Percy broke the silence.

"Mhmm..." He had a distracted expression on his face when she looked up at him, and his gaze was directed straight ahead of him.

"Why did the gods go silent? I didn't think about it, but I really haven't heard from Dad in a while." Now, he had that pensive look, the one where Annabeth knew that he was deep in thought. It made her heart jittery and practically made her knees buckle.

"I'm not really sure," she sighed. "I was kind of surprised when it all happened. But if anybody is stubborn enough to do it, it's Zeus."

The sky rumbled above them, but the thunder quickly passed.

"I just don't understand," he continued. "After the pact we made this summer, there's got to be a good reason for them to cut off all contact with us. Something's up, and I have a bad feeling about it."

"Maybe it has something to do with the prophecy?" Annabeth said. For once, Percy was the one thinking and asking the questions; she was just trying to go with the flow. Surely these questions would be answered in time.

"Maybe..." He moved his arm from her shoulder uneasily, and she weaved her fingers through his. As comfortingly as she could, she squeezed his hand.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do something nice with the water."

"Sure thing." He paused, and turned toward the shimmering lake. Annabeth smiled bashfully, overjoyed at the fact that Percy seemed willing to do anything for her. She hoped that he knew she felt the same exact way. After all, she had put herself in the way of death to save his life during the Titan War. If it weren't for Annabeth, Percy would be dead.

His face was still thoughtful and detached as he lifted his free hand, keeping his other intertwined with Annabeth's. He moved his wrist and fingers, staring at the water with a strange glint in his eye. She leaned her cheek against his sturdy arm and watched with droopy eyelids. The water slowly yet steadily rose from the surface, swirling and twisting in seemingly solid shapes. She wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, but she was willing to wait and find out. Finally, all of the blurred and rippling shapes turned into a readable sentence, and tears involuntarily came to Annabeth's eyes.

In front of her, shaped with the water controlled by the son of Poseidon's fiddling fingers, were the words, "I love you."

Annabeth blinked hastily, sending away the tears in embarrassment before turning to her escort.

"I...I love you, too."

He smiled.

"I know."

They approached the circle of cabins, using the moonlight and the twinkling of the stars as their guides. Annabeth's eyes were drooping heavily, and she leaned on Percy for support. Their romantic walk along the shore and the emotions that had pulsed through her left her completely drained, more mentally than physically. Every moment since one fifty-six, she had been ecstatic. It was only the beginning of the next three weeks that they were going to spend together, all day every day. Annabeth was not one to usually show her feelings openly, but at that point, she could barely contain her giddiness.

"Percy, please stop worrying," she pleaded as they halted in front of the Athena cabin. She could almost hear her bunk inside, calling her name desperately. He smiled, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he turned to face her. "I'm sure the gods are fine..." That had sounded much more convincing inside of her head. Suddenly, thinking about what Percy had said, she found herself becoming a bit worried...

"I-I know," he admitted. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Go get a good night's rest." She smiled sweetly, brushing back a stray black strand from his forehead. "We shouldn't be tired for our first full day at camp, should we?"

"Nah, I guess not," he grinned. Then there was that magical silence again, the one that always hung in the air right before he kissed her.

"Good night, Seaweed Brain." She had one moment to smirk before he gently pressed his lips to hers; it felt better than ambrosia.

"Sleep tight, Annabeth," he winked. "I love you."

Reluctantly, she let go of Percy's hand and made her way up the stairs and into her cabin, looking back the entire trek. He simply stood, watching after her with his hands stuffed casually in his pockets. Though she was hesitant to walk away from him so soon, sleep was becoming more powerful in her movements, and she tried to persuade herself.

_You'll see him tomorrow, and every day for the next three weeks. It's not a big deal._

She caught one more glimpse of his gorgeous smile before she disappeared into her cabin. That night, she slept better than she had any night in the past four months. The constant dream didn't replay in her head, and she didn't wake up with tears in her eyes...

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><p>"Chiron! <em>Chiron<em>!"

Annabeth Chase rushed into the Big House, without even stopping to announce her arrival. She kept screaming the centaur's name desperately.

"Chiron!"

"Annabeth, dear, what is it?" The old centaur rolled up to the entrance in his wheelchair, looking concerned and gentle with his warm eyes and a face etched with the markings of time.

"Chiron," Annabeth began, pausing to catch her breath. She was panting, and even the centaur could see the tears that glistened on the edges of her stormy gray eyes. "It's Percy. He's...he's gone." She couldn't keep her voice from trembling.

The last kiss he had given her still lingered on her pink and pouted lips. She tried to remember the last words he'd said to her, and without much effort, she recalled them perfectly. They made her cringe.

_"Sleep tight, Annabeth. I love you." _

She would find him. She would find him no matter what.

_I love you, too, Seaweed Brain. _

So much for the perfect winter break.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it! Based on the response this gets, I might continue with the little one-shots. So don't forget to review and let me know what you thought, because it would be greatly appreciated :) Thanks guys! <strong>


	2. Head Counselor

**Hi everybody! So my first one-shot got some pretty good feedback, so I thought, "Hey, why not add another one and see what happens?" So, here it is! If you've read _The Lost Hero_-which I'm hoping you have-you know about Jake Mason and his odd body cast. Well, this is the story of how he got that body cast. Haha enjoy!**

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><p><span>Head Counselor<span>

Jake Mason sat in his bunk, winding up a toy he had just made. With a heavy sigh, he put the small dragon on the ground, and let go. Almost instantly, the contraption burst into flames. Jake put his palm to his forehead and tried to hold back the dirty words lingering on his tongue. Finally, he picked up the charred machine and started over, fixing the gadgets and shining up the metal. The rest of his siblings were still asleep and retracted down into their private rooms, but sleep had evaded Jake once more that night. The sun had not even risen, and he had been up for at least an hour. With a disillusioned expression, his eyes drifted upward, to where he knew the single empty bed still lay above ground.

_Beckendorf..._He thought, looking away after only moments. _Where are you when we need you?_

Jake hadn't wanted to become head counselor. He knew that no matter what he did, he would never be able to live up to Charles anyway. All Jake was good for was building things, and now he was even failing at that. His leadership skills were nothing compared to Beckendorf's, but in the end, Jake had no choice but to assume responsibility for Cabin Nine. He was the oldest. He had been at Camp Half-Blood the longest. And, unfortunately, there was nobody else.

_It's ironic, isn't it?_ His thoughts were bitter as he stared up at the ceiling, and instinctively, his thoughts were directed towards his father. _The son of Hephaestus, god of fire, killed in an explosion. It's no wonder everybody thinks we're cursed._

Jake's attention wavered for only a moment, but the next thing he knew, his small toy dragon was falling apart in his hands.

"Damn it!" he cursed, letting the rusty pieces fall to the ground. Of course, there was nobody above ground to hear him. His nightly outbursts would continue to have no audience.

_Seriously, Dad? We can't even build anymore?_

Still grumbling to himself in frustration, he picked up the pieces once more and blasted the music on his iPod. He didn't want to think about anything; all he wanted to do was concentrate the energy of his mind into this little trinket that was unfairly avoiding his building prowess. The son of Hephaestus didn't know what time it was, nor did he care; so when he heard the alarm for breakfast, he was only slightly surprised.

Jake swung his legs over the side of his bed and ran his callused hands through his messy, copper mop of hair, ignoring the grease he was unintentionally spreading through it. Still fuming, he ordered his bunk upwards and out of his underground room, where the cabin was still completely empty. When he stood up and slipped into his boots, he scowled in repulsion at the small bloodstain by his bed. Harley's hand still wasn't healed from his unlucky encounter with one of Christopher's failed bug-killing machines, and unfortunately for the other campers, it was dripping blood everywhere. Just another day in the life of a cursed child of Hephaestus.

"Morning, Jake," Nyssa greeted, tying the bandana over her hair. She looked as if she'd gotten just as much as sleep as Jake: none.

"Hey," he smiled. It was a slight comfort to him, knowing that he wasn't the only one worrying. Of course, Nyssa wasn't senior counselor; it wasn't her job to lift the curse. It wasn't her job to look after all of Cabin Nine...

_And it most definitely is not her job to try and fill Charles Beckendorf's huge ass shoes. _

The exhausted and disillusioned children of Hephaestus nibbled absentmindedly at their food. For their sake, Jake tried to seem as if there was nothing bugging him. He cracked jokes and threw them feigned smiles, hoping that maybe their spirits would be lifted. Just as he had expected, his attempts were futile. The only way they would ever feel better would be once this purported curse was gone.

"Guys, why don't we head back down to the forges after breakfast and take another look at that map?" he suggested. "Maybe we'll get a better idea about where that dragon is."

"Jake, it's useless," Nyssa sighed pessimistically. "There's no way we're even going to get close."

"If we can get enough oil and Tabasco sauce, I'm sure it would approach us comfortably. I mean, it knows we're not going to hurt it...?"

"And then what? 'All right Mr. Dragon, please stop terrorizing our campers and go back to your job, please.' That'll never work!" The other campers nodded reluctantly, agreeing with Nyssa.

"You never know if you never try," Jake persisted. He was not happy with the outcome of his persuasive techniques. This was one of the many reasons he stuck to building things rather than polishing his leadership skills. "Maybe if we say the right things and act the right way, it will listen to us."

"And if not? Jake, we don't know what that thing is capable of." Nyssa had a worried glint in her eyes, as if she were concerned about what her half-brother had planned inside of his intricate and twisted mind.

As if on cue, the wince-inducing cry of the bronze automaton rang out through camp, causing all of the campers at the pavilion to flinch and instinctively cover their ears. Then, almost instantly, they turned their eyes toward Jake and the rest of his cabin. They avoided eye contact and looked back down at their food, haunted by the resonating echo of the magnificent beast's call.

"Jake," Nyssa finally whispered. "I'm trusting you on this. Right now, we have no other choice but to try your plan."

"Good," Jake sighed in relief. "I'm glad you finally agree. But, if that plan doesn't work..."

"You mean," Harley interjected, "trying to control the dragon ourselves?"

"Yeah. If that doesn't work, we'll have to resort to plan B."

"Which is...?"

"Destroy it."

"Oh." All gazes averted downwards. The words he had just uttered felt bitter and dry on Jake's tongue, but they were true; if they had to, to keep the camp safe, they would have to destroy Beckendorf's dragon.

_Then the curse will never be lifted,_ he thought to himself. He and the rest of the cabin were fully aware of the situation. Surely, their curse—or, whatever it was—would be lifted if they could prove their worth as followers of the late Charles. Surely, their father would reward them if they could harness the power of their own creation without destroying it. It was their only hope for breaking free of their mysterious demon, and it was their only hope for regaining the respect of the camp.

Jake put a grape into his mouth as his eyes meandered across the pavilion, pausing momentarily at each cabin. Everybody seemed so happy (except for Percy, but that was only because he was sitting alone at his Poseidon table, scowling and sneaking glances at the Athena table as he ate in solitude). The campers were laughing and joking light-heartedly with their siblings, as if there was not a single care in their mind. Even Clovis, with his group of incessantly sleepy zombies, was awake and smiling as brightly as ever. And then Jake looked around at his own table. There was not a single trace of a smile, even on his own downcast features.

"Hey guys, come on," he said. "Cheer up! It's not that bad..." He wasn't fooling anybody, including himself.

"Yes it is," Harley frowned. His red cheeks turned downwards as he leaned his chin on his palm. "It's not fair. We didn't do anything wrong!"

"It's all right, Harley," Nyssa comforted, rubbing his back. "This isn't a curse. I know it's not. But whatever it is..." She paused, and looked at Jake right in the eyes. "We'll get rid of it."

_Right,_ he thought cynically. _We'll get rid of it._

That was just another way of saying, "Jake will get rid of it."

* * *

><p>"Motor oil?" Jake's pencil hovered over his clipboard.<p>

"Check!"

"Tabasco sauce?"

"Check!"

"Hammer? The big metal one?"

"Check!

"First aid kit?"

"...Uh, check!"

"All right. It looks like we've got everything," he smiled, putting the clipboard down on the desk. Nyssa scratched the back of her neck and glanced outside of the forge windows.

"Yeah, including an audience. Who invited them?" she accused. "We didn't tell anybody we were doing this..."

"Um," Harley cleared his throat. "I might've told a couple of people..."

"Ugh!" Nyssa rolled her eyes and adjusted her bandana. "Harley, you and Shane and Christopher have to go tell them to get out of here. This could get dangerous. _We_ shouldn't even be doing it."

"In fact," Jake suddenly said. The thought had just popped into his head, and he wasn't sure if it was very logical, but he found himself thinking that it was something Charles would've done. "Why don't you all stay here, too? Let me go handle the dragon. I'm senior counselor, after all."

"_What?_" All of his half-blood siblings gawked at him with dropped jaws. "Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah..." Jake brushed the hair out of his face and shuffled his feet anxiously. This was exactly the type of thing he was _not_ cut out for. "Like Nyssa said, this is really dangerous. I don't want to be responsible for any more death."

"You need at least one other person," Nyssa argued. "I'll come with you."

"Fine. But everybody else stays."

He tried to ignore their disappointed grumbles and cries of protest. He knew that if Beckendorf were here, he would agree with Jake's decision; he would want to protect his siblings, and he would be willing to put himself in danger for it. Perhaps if Jake just kept put himself in Charles's mindset, he wouldn't make for such a bad senior counselor, after all...

"We'd better get going," Nyssa interrupted his thoughts logically. "The dragon always likes to roam the edge of the forest right about now, during sundown."

"All right, let's go." Jake slung his large backpack, filled with cans of motor oil, bottles of Tabasco sauce, and a first aid kit over his shoulders. Then he grabbed his hammer and, swallowing the fear that was bubbling up inside of him, led his half-sister out of the forges. They left behind their worried siblings, and walked silently through the crowd of demigods watching in wonder.

"Sorry, but this isn't a spectacle," Nyssa said to them. "Nobody else can come."

Slowly, the world around Jake was beginning to disappear. He was drowned in his thoughts about the dragon, and the way it would react when they approached. He didn't know what it would do; Beckendorf was the only person that did, and he was dead. It was times like these when Jake wished he were still around...no, Jake _always_ wished that he were still around. Unexpectedly, tears brimmed on his eyes, but he blinked them back hastily before Nyssa could notice. He could suddenly remember all of the good times that he and Charles had shared; they had been close, like real brothers. And he knew he wasn't doing his deceased friend any justice with this act. He was still uncertain of what he was doing. Charles would've known exactly what to do and how to do it. And all of the other campers knew it just as well as Jake Mason knew it: nobody could ever live up to Charles Beckendorf.

"Just spread it evenly," Jake advised.

He and Nyssa were opening their bottles and cans of Tabasco sauce and oil with scrunched up noses, pouring it onto the soil and moving it along the edge of the forest. They had made sure no other campers were watching, specifically the other children of Hephaestus. Jake tried to keep his face straight, simply to show Nyssa that he wasn't afraid; in reality, he was more frightened than he'd been in a while. Ever since Beckendorf's death, nothing they had done seemed to work as planned. Their machines hadn't worked, the dragon had gone haywire, and even their social relationships had taken turns for the worst. Everybody at camp thought they were cursed, and even some of the members of Cabin Nine were starting to believe it.

"This should be enough to attract it."

"Jake, I'm just worried about what will happen after that." Nyssa stared distantly into the forest, sighing heavily and speaking with a worried tone.

"When the dragon comes," Jake began. Once again, he tried to imagine himself in Beckendorf's shoes. "I want you to stand back there, where it can't see you. If I need any help, then you can come out. But I'll try to calm it down, control it, take a look at its circuitry."

"I don't know..."

"This is the only way," he persisted. "And I don't want you to get hurt, too."

Finally, Nyssa succumbed, and with a solemn nod, she made her way to the spot to which Jake had pointed. He rubbed his eyes, trying to convince himself that he wasn't tired and that he wasn't scared. He clenched his fists apprehensively, and even his teeth began grinding together instinctively. Flashbacks of the small toy dragon he had tried to make that morning replayed in his head, and he could not stop thinking about how it had crumbled to pieces right in his hands. No matter how hard he had tried to rebuild it, it had kept falling apart. He simply couldn't get that windup dragon to obey his orders...

The ground rumbled. Jake expertly covered his ears just as the approaching dragon screamed out, emphasizing its arrival. He stumbled backwards, staring into the darkness of the forest with a pounding heart and a churning stomach. Finally, he saw two eyes glimmer out to him from the ominous blackness, giving him frightening chills, and then the ground rumbled once more. He felt his heart drop to his feet as the great, brilliant bronze dragon emerged from its hiding spot in the forest. He naturally held his breath, watching it with wide eyes. Jake, for the sake of Nyssa, straightened his back and attempted to act put-together.

_Holy crap, this thing is bigger than I remember!_

He was not put-together in the slightest.

At first, the dragon automaton did not notice the relatively small child of Hephaestus staring up at it, as still as a statue. Its nose dipped to the soil at its feet, sniffing the seemingly delicious mixture of Tabasco sauce and motor oil. Jake tried not to gag as it opened its mouth and licked up the repulsive substance, creaking in pleasure.

_All right...I can do this...Beckendorf could do this..._

It took him a few minutes to gather his courage. But finally, he opened his mouth.

"H-hey, boy..."

The dragon lifted its head, and its horrifyingly realistic eyes narrowed at the sight of Jake. He took another habitual step backwards, clutching the handle of his hammer with both hands. It growled deeply, and Jake thought he could feel his very organs tremble.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

He realized how unconvincing that sounded while he was holding that hammer. The dragon was eyeing the weapon incredulously. Realizing he had no other choice, Jake slowly bent down, put the hammer on the ground, and lifted his hands. This was not going as he'd planned.

_Yeah, I hadn't really planned on facing this thing without a weapon._

"See? I just want to—"

The dragon stepped forward, raising its head and letting out an ear-piercing scream. Jake doubled over, groaning at the sickening sound.

"Hey, boy, calm down," he said shakily. "All we want is to check out your circuitry. It won't hurt a bit, I promise. We just want to see what's wrong with you."

The dragon shrieked and lifted its leg menacingly.

_Right. Perhaps that wasn't the best wording to use. _

Before Jake could react and pick up his hammer, the dragon lowered its leg. Jake felt every single bone in his body crack as he crumpled to the ground, completely smashed underneath this dragon's literal iron fist. He was so blinded by the pain that exploded through him that he could not even hear the own savage scream that escaped his lips. He could vaguely make out Nyssa's voice in the background, but it was distant...and Jake was in too much pain to care. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw that the dragon was looking down at him triumphantly; its leg lifted and ready to strike again.

"P-please..." he stuttered. Even his throat felt dented, and he could barely speak without his voice cracking. "We just want to help you."

_Hey Dad? Right now would be a great time for _you _to help _me_. _

Of course, Hephaestus did not answer. Jake groaned, wishing he could move any one of his limbs.

_Beckendorf...he would know what to do. Too bad I'm not Beckendorf...and I never will be. _

"JAKE!"

The dragon lowered its paw one more time, and before Jake could even feel an ounce of pain, everything was white. But his mind was able to pull out one last thought...

_I'm not the one who will lift this curse. I'm not meant to be head counselor. _

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it, the back story of poor ol' Jakey. I just thought that part was interesting when I read it, so I wanted to expand on it :) I hope you guys liked it, review! Maybe I'll post more one-shots, but that depends on the feedback I get. So thanks! I love you guys!<strong>_  
><em>


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